Who Owns Your Genes? The Gene Patent Quiz

You may have heard debate in the news about whether or not parts of the human genome can actually be patented, but how much do you know about gene patents? Find out by taking this quick quiz!

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Question 1 of 20

The four general purposes for patenting a gene are:

research, marketing, profit and publicity

diagnostics, functional use, process, composition of matter

Composition of matter patents are at the heart of the legal debate over gene patents.

novelty, repurposing of matter, utility, body of knowledge

Question 2 of 20

The first gene patent was granted in:

1905

1974

1982

The first gene patent was issued in 1982 to the University of California for a hormone involved with breast development in pregnant women.

Question 3 of 20

Approximately how many patents are there on human genes?

75 to 200

3,000 to 5,000

There are currently more than 3,000 patents on human genes, and that number is growing all the time!

12,000 to 13,000

Question 4 of 20

Approximately how many patents are there that involve genetic material?

14,000

32,000

47,000

There are more than 47,000 patents involving genetic material. This includes patents on not only individual genes, but also on strands of genes and processes and equipment used to research and isolate them.

Question 5 of 20

What was the first recombinant genetic product to get a patent?

Diet Coke

insulin

Some people may treat Diet Coke like it's vital to their survival, but insulin was the first recombinant genetic product to be granted a patent. Human growth hormone (HGH) came shortly after.

human growth hormone

Question 6 of 20

To date, how many protein-coding genes have been identified by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium?

19,599

The consortium was responsible for mapping the human genome and has identified nearly 20,000 different protein-coding genes.

124,943

1,293,288

Question 7 of 20

Approximately what percent of human genes are patented?

20 percent

40 percent

Less than half of human genes are associated with issued patents. So, there's still plenty of "you" left untouched!

80 percent

Question 8 of 20

Roughly how many gene patent applications have been filed?

150,000 to 300,000

500,000 to 1,000,000

more than 1 million

After the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, the number of gene patent applications skyrocketed, and more than 1 million have been filed to date.

Question 9 of 20

What three conditions must exist for something to receive a patent? It must be:

temperate, arid and humid

useful, non-obvious, describable

Things outside of weather conditions can certainly be patented, and plenty of offensive and lethal things are also protected by patent law. The third required condition -- describability -- is sometimes called the enablement criterion, because it enables someone other than the patent holder to make or use the invention.

inoffensive, nonlethal, organic

Question 10 of 20

How long does a patent protect an invention?

20 years

For 20 years after a patent is issued, no one other than the holder can make or use the item under patent without permission from, and usually payment to, the patent holder.

99 years

forever

Question 11 of 20

The most widely publicized gene patent controversy involved genes that predicted the risk of what?

hoof and mouth disease

breast and ovarian cancer

The genes involved are known as RCA1 and BRCA2, and Myriad Genetics has developed a test that determines if a woman has a deformation of these genes that may indicate an increased risk of developing breast or ovarian cancers.

lung and throat cancer

Question 12 of 20

Which celebrity became involved in gene patent legislation around 2007?

Natalie Portman

Michael Crichton

Crichton's 2006 novel, "Next," was a bio-thriller focusing on the world of genetic research.

Moby

Question 13 of 20

The Plant Patent Act, which allowed products of nature to be patented for the first time, was issued in which year?

1856

1930

Once it was enacted in 1930, the Plant Patent Act allowed plant breeders to patent new types of plant life.

1997

Question 14 of 20

What famous court case set the stage for patenting living organisms?

Plants v. Zombies

Diamond v. Chakrabarty

In Diamond v. Chakrabarty, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a strain of bacteria developed in the lab could, in fact, receive a patent.

Franco v. Curry

Question 15 of 20

The Human Genome Project began in what year?

1962

1974

1987

The project got under way in the late 1980s, and it was completed two years ahead of schedule in 2003.

Question 16 of 20

What percentage of human DNA creates proteins that function as genes?

1.1 to 1.4 percent

Though less than 2 percent of our DNA fits this description, the great majority of gene patents focus only on the protein-producing sections of genetic material.

12.7 to 21.2 percent

27.8 to 30 percent

Question 17 of 20

How much did the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spend on genetics research from 2003 to 2007?

more than $5 million

more than $14 billion

While $14 billion is a lot of cash, there's the possibility that the cost of genetics research could reach into the trillions in the future.

more than $1 trillion

Question 18 of 20

Approximately how many genes are there in one human chromosome?

100

1,000

One chromosome can carry about 1,000 genes.

10,000

Question 19 of 20

If all the DNA in your cells was stretched out, it would go to the moon and back about how many times?

50

50 million

1 million

All that DNA could pave the theoretical way for 1 million trips to Earth's biggest satellite.

Question 20 of 20

About how many DNA molecules are found in the complete human genome?

65 million

The genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism, and it contains more than 65 million DNA molecules.